The Greeks Overseas

This book is the best reference work I have ever used for research. The bibliography cannot be improved upon and the text provides the most up-to-date summary on this fascinating subject. Another reviewer said the book was dull. It is not meant to be a history book on the colonies. For this type of thing, try Dunbabin's "The first western Greeks." This book is an archaeological reference, not a overview of classical history of the colonies, although it does refer to history where relevant. I have had this book for four years and have used it countless times. Boardman's work is always outstanding.

I have read and owned every edition of "The Greeks Overseas" since the first little Pelican paperback. It is the single, first and last, indispensable book for students of Archaic Greece, whether studying primarily history or archaeology or art. I consider it prerequisite to his other books on Archaic art and on the diffusion of Greek civilization. Professor Boardman has given us more than any other scholar of his generation, all of it of enduring value. The latest edition of the basic "Greek Art" is also worthy of reading by everyone from adolescents to mature scholars. A new edition of a Boardman book is not merely a new cover and an up-dated bibliography (though that, of course, is provided).